Perdue Farms (food and agricultural firm) are investing more than US $27 million to renovate a former food processing facility in Shelby Michigan.

With this new venture, Perdue farms plan to source more local ingredients for a ‘human-grade’ pet treat operation. The project is driven by the recent substantial growth in perdue foods pet treat division. 

This comes after the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development voted to approve grants to five local Michigan businesses, which allowed for an increase in production space, to expand services, and create new jobs. Perdue received a US $100,000 grant to create 99 new jobs whilst supporting Michigan’s agricultural industry/local companies. 

The company manufactures pet food products under the brands ‘Spot Farms’ and ‘Full Moon’, which are sourced and distributed in the US and Canada.

Spot farms is a family-owned company that creates ‘human-grade’ dog food, by using regionally grown, USDA approved, antibiotic-free chicken, turkey and pork. The brand states no artificial colours or preservatives are used. They are also a member of the non-profit organisation ‘1% for the planet’. The brand ‘Full moon’, established in 2011, creates human-grade dog treats, cooked in small batches using dehydration instead of high heat thermal extrusion. 

“As people are increasingly seeking cleaner labels in what they feed their pets, this new production facility will play a key role in the continued growth of our human-grade pet treat brands,” says Ryan Perdue, Vice President and General Manager of Perdue’s Pet Business. “The central location of this facility in Michigan will help us drive efficiencies in our supply chain, improve freight costs, enable access to a strong local workforce, and allow for multiple phases of expansion within the property’s existing footprint. Importantly, the project grant from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will help support the creation of nearly 100 new jobs to the area, and we commend their efforts to incentivise agricultural and manufacturing expansion in the state.”

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